Mind, body and soul - what makes a champion?

So, to set the stage, I want you to imagine two different people looking at the identical cloud formation. The portrait painter sees a face of dignity, while the ultrasound technician sees a diseased gall bladder. This says it all. We view this world through our mindsets. Mindsets that are unconscious and are shaped by our past experiences, by our culture, our society, and even our genetic make-up. Two athletes may enter the race with similar bodies, even similar training, but their mindsets will be different.

Remember Kieran Perkins at Atlanta? Remember that magical moment when Kieran, after barely qualifying for the 1500m event and after being given up for lost by most of the experts, went on a spectacular golden win for Australia.

Isn't this an example of the role of the mindset in winning? And especially for winning in the face of adversity, in the face of disbelievers, winning by coming from behind.

I assure you, sport doesn't have a monopoly on those who come from behind to win. Just think of the many writers, like Falkner, who persevered through years of rejections, one book after another, before they achieved acclaim. Or recall the myriad of artists like Van Gogh, who painted without applause, prior to their recognition. And, of course, there are legions of scientists whose ground-breaking research was ignored by the establishment, yet they continued on, they continued on to eventually change the prevailing paradigm.

Now many of you are saying: okay, I agree, the mind might have a role, but raw talent is the crucial ingredient necessary to fulfil dreams. You have got to have raw talent!

How else, for example, could Susie Maroney conquer the 200km marathon swim from Mexico to Cuba?

But, listen to this. After her swim, Maroney's long-term coach, Dick Caine, said and I quote: "Susie had no talent whatsoever".

"She's a little person who couldn't even make a final at a state meet – coming and showing the world that on sheer guts and determination you can do anything you want!"

And, I assure you that this sentiment is merely an echo of views held by many others. For example, the American Bruce Jenner, one of the few in the Olympic Hall of Fame, says: "Everyone is physically talented," – winning has to do with your mental capacity.

So, if we are to believe the experts, raw physical talent is not always necessary to be a champion at sports.

But surely, you say, talent must be necessary to make breakthroughs in science. Yet, that myth has been dispelled throughout the ages.

For example, Darwin, Einstein and Edison were very average students whose teachers, even with hindsight, were hard pressed to say something particularly flattering.